


goro akechi, dog dad of the year

by joshriku



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24851956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshriku/pseuds/joshriku
Summary: Goro adopts a puppy he found on the rain. It's a lot harder than it seems.
Relationships: Background Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Background Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Goro Akechi & Puppy
Comments: 45
Kudos: 278
Collections: Quality Persona Fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this [art that makes me sooo happy every time i think of it ^_^](https://twitter.com/okiuras/status/1267675043649277958?s=19)

Perhaps a coincidence, or perhaps fate, when the rain is pouring the hardest it can, Goro Akechi finds a puppy at his doorstep. 

It’s so bizarre that Goro has no choice but to squat down, gloved hand coming to slowly pet the puppy—poor thing is shaking so much. Who knows how long it was outside the rain? The puppy cries when Goro tries to pick it up—maybe it’s scared? 

Well, he can’t just leave it out like this. Goro tries again, maneuvering and moving gently as to not hurt it, and hurrying back inside to grab an umbrella. Plans on hold, he has to visit a vet now. 

* * *

“She should be fine if you feed her these pills every day for a week,” the vet tells Goro, and Goro definitely catches the weird tone in her voice. “Is she your dog?” 

“No, ma’am. I found her today on my doorstep,” he smiles, trying to come as pleasant as possible. “So she’s okay?” 

“Yeah. It’s good that you decided to pick her up. She’s three months old—must’ve been terrified to be left like that.” 

Goro frowns. “Do you think she was abandoned?” 

“Most likely, yes. She might be jumpy and have a hard time opening up at first, but she must have felt your warmth. She’s calmer now that you’re around.” 

“That’s funny,” Goro says, not really humored. “She doesn’t know me.” 

“She’s a baby, Akechi-kun. You’re the most familiar thing she knows right now. Tell me, are you planning on adopting her?” 

“I—I can’t,” Goro stumbles out his words, before clearing his throat and straightening up. “I have no idea how to take care of a dog. Shouldn’t it be better if I take her to a shelter…?” 

“Do you want to give her up?” 

An affirmative answer is ready to spill out of his lips. It must be true what people say about puppy-eyes: they are impossible to resist. Goro takes one look at her and immediately witnesses his defenses crumbling down right before his very eyes. There is no other way to put it—she is so cute. A pang of regrets runs through Goro as he shakes his head. He’s not set for this, but what can he do? Who’s going to care for her if not him? 

“Do I need to get her vaccinated?” Goro asks instead of answering the question. The vet smiles at him. 

* * *

Goro ends up with a puppy on his arms, a card detailing his new puppy’s details except her name (for future checkups), and his umbrella once more. He is most likely holding the dog incorrectly— she seems to be comfortable now, after receiving all the care in the vet, so Goro doesn’t want to breathe wrongly in case she ends up uncomfortable again. 

A puppy.  _ A puppy.  _ It’s so ridiculous; Goro truly blames her puppy eyes over anything else. He’s not the type to look after others, not even  _ himself,  _ so how could he know about taking care of puppies? The vet had been nice enough to write down essential tips for Goro, showed him the right articles, instructed him on what food to get, and yet… the anxiety eats down Goro alive. This is a stupid idea, and frankly, the vet was extremely irresponsible for even doing this. What kind of professional gives an eighteen-year-old a puppy? Just because she  _ liked  _ Goro?

Goro tries to not lose it as he sits down on the subway, puppy fast asleep on his lap. A few old ladies coo at him, he hears a million whispers of ‘oh my god, look at that puppy!’, and instinctively, he strokes the puppy gently, hoping she sleeps more tightly at least until they get home. Reading the articles is absolute hell: there is  _ so  _ much to do.

For starters, Goro doesn’t have a dog-proof place, because he  _ wasn’t getting a fucking dog.  _ Goro doesn’t own a leash, or dog food, or knew how to talk to dogs to begin with. Don’t people usually baby-talk their dogs? Goro would rather be buried alive than baby-talk to  _ anyone,  _ including the puppy.

The puppy makes a little sound while she sleeps.

Oh no, she’s cute.

* * *

They do take a few more minutes before coming home, in which Goro impulsively buys half a store of dog-related items, and comes back with a too-heavy-bag filled with everything he should possibly have for the dog in one arm, puppy in the other. The puppy is already awake, occasionally letting out tiny barks, and Goro is already one step closer to panic. Finally, closing the door behind them, Goro sets down the puppy as she sits down.

She’s so small. She’s a light brown, very cute, and Goro has no idea  _ why  _ that sends him into a panic, but it sure does. He’s not fit for this. This puppy is slightly injured, was abandoned, and probably doesn’t know much about the world— Goro sure as hell was not the one who was going to show her how amazing life is. He’s not even  _ sure  _ life was all that exciting, and he can’t even panic in peace because he read up how dogs are empathetic and he doesn’t want the dog to feel his anxiety—

Goro runs his hand through his hair. This is fine. This is absolutely fine.

The puppy stares up at Goro, barks, and yes, maybe things aren’t absolutely fine.

“Hello,” Goro manages to muster up enough courage to talk to her. “Are you hungry, perhaps? I bought you a bowl.”

He wasn’t going to baby talk to the puppy. The puppy tilts her head at Goro.

“I hope you like this, um…”

Goro breathes in. He has no name for this puppy. Maybe that was her new name— _ puppy.  _ He takes a second to try to remember the things he read on his way home: the dog should have a designated place to eat. The kitchen should be fine, right? He eats there, the dog can eat there. It’s fine. They’ll be fine.

He pours the dog food, puts a bowl of water, and then gently picks her up again to bring her to the kitchen.

He puts her down, and without Goro even having to do anything, she starts  _ devouring  _ the food. When was the last time this poor thing even had something to eat? Goro’s heart twinges a little, and without intending to, he links it back to the days where he wouldn’t have anyone who cared about whether he ate or not—how he had no one to ever rely on to make sure he ate, or was okay, or even alive.

“You must’ve been so alone,” he says, sitting down in front of her. The puppy doesn’t actually pay attention to him, just keeps eating happily. “I will remember to feed you your medicine every day. I sometimes come home late, but that doesn’t mean I’m not here. And… we will go on walks. Soon. We should get to know the house first, right? Does that sound nice?”

He gets an answer—it’s the sound of the dog drinking water like her life depends on it. It actually makes Goro laugh a bit.

“Maybe I’ll carry you on a bag, like Ren carries Mona,” Goro hums, thoughtfully. “Oh, Ren. Should I tell him about this? What do you think?”

The dog finally deems Goro worthy of her time, as she slowly walks towards him, and he lifts up his hand to pet her—slowly, surely. Maybe the dog actually likes him? She sits down in front of him, so now they’re both on the floor, letting herself be pet. Maybe she has registered Goro isn’t a threat, just some guy in her new house.

That’s fine.

“I think I’ll tell him. He has a cat; he should know something about this, right?”

The puppy pushes her head further into Goro’s hand. Goro breaks into laughter, a lot more relieved than before. “Yes, okay, we’ll tell him.”

* * *

“Everything okay?” Ren asks, perceptive like no one else. He’s looking at Goro with that one expression—the one where even if he lies, Ren will only go along with the lie before brutally exposing him. “You look like you left your stove on back at home.”

Not necessarily, but maybe his puppy was putting herself inside the stove as he played billiards with Ren. It’s ridiculous, yes, but for a week or so, Goro has been making sure his puppy liked the house and taught her commands. He’s been sleeping less than ever, given that the puppy sometimes cries during the nights, and of course—he reads way too many articles on how to train her, on top of his normal workload.

It’s probable that he looks like absolute shit, no matter the amount of makeup he throws on before leaving his house.

“You’re a pet-owner,” Goro starts, ominously. “Morgana, despite everything, is a cat. Do you stress over him? Did you have to look up things about cats?”

“Morgana’s not fully a cat. He takes care of himself.” Ren frowns. “Why are you asking? Did you get a cat?”

“Puppy,” Goro leans over and tries to get a ball inside. He fails. So much for not sleeping enough. “Someone abandoned a puppy in front of my house. I at first was against keeping her, but as the minutes ticked by, my resolution was absolutely smashed to shreds.”

“…Never pegged you to be a dog person.”

He chuckles, “Funnily enough, neither did I. I haven’t named the dog, because certainly, my creativity might be lacking in that aspect, but I do care greatly for her.”

“Why haven’t you sent me pics of her?”

“To be honest…” Goro stops, going over his words. He hasn’t told anyone about this, if only out of fear to be called out on how he doesn’t deserve to care for something as pure as a dog, when he can’t even begin to care for himself. “I felt like it wasn’t the right time.”

“I always send you pics of Mona.”

“Always at the wrong time, you’re right.”

“…You jerk,” Ren mutters as he plays. Goro can’t help the giggle. “I will stop that.”

“How tragic.”

“So, how’s Goro Junior?”

“That is  _ not  _ her name.” Goro tries to not roll his eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve left her alone a few times, but I can’t help the worry.”

“Should we head to see her?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a nervous dog dad. I want to meet Goro Junior.”

Goro sighs. He needs a real name for the puppy.

It’s oddly nerve-wracking to invite Ren to his house, even if it’s not the first time or the last. Ren is pretty harmless, a menace when he wants to be, but he doesn’t seem to be a threat to animals. Goro has taken his puppy out for a few walks already, so she’s not that unaccustomed to other people or other animals. He had read way too many articles about not raising a socially anxious dogs and following too many guides, so all things considered, this should be fine.

He twists his doorknob with hesitancy that was probably not perceived by anyone, and lets Ren walk in. The puppy immediately wakes up from her little nap on the bed Goro had gotten her, and once she sees Goro, she immediately gets on her paws and comes running. Her tail wags incredibly fast, as Goro leans down to greet her, with her not wasting time to lick all over his face. It’s  _ impossible  _ to not laugh, and it’s a thing that Goro has been learning to get used to: intense puppy greetings.

The little moment is broken by Ren laughing, a sound so unique it always manages to stop all of Goro’s thoughts. “Goro Junior really likes you.”

Ren also squats down, extending his hand. “Hi. I’m Ren.”

“This is our friend, Ren,” Goro says. Sometimes he believes that his puppy understands his normal chatter that is not orders or commands he taught her. “You will be nice to him, right?”

Goro is a bit hesitant to hand the puppy to Ren, but it’s silly. Why should it be dangerous?

Or perhaps he has an attachment to the puppy that he doesn’t want Ren to take over?

The thought, as valid as it is, wavers down as soon as he sees Ren picking up the puppy. It’s… a sight for sore eyes, one would say. Unlike Goro, he  _ does  _ baby-talk to the puppy, as hilarious as it is.

“She’s such a good girl! The best!” Ren smiles at him. “I love you, Goro Junior.”

“There is no talking you out of that name, I assume. Anyway, where are my manners? Do you want something to eat?”

Ren perks up. “You have food?”

“Yes. Believe it or not, taking care of a puppy makes you buy food for yourself as well. I need energy to look after her.” Goro walks over to the kitchen, as Ren stands up again and the puppy follows them both. “So, do you want something?”

“I’ll have whatever you do.” Ren sits down on the table, of course, letting Goro do all the work.

He ends up sitting down with him, after filling puppy’s plate with food—it’s her  _ second  _ meal of the day, she’s eating so well these days—and going over the story of how he adopted his puppy to Ren, who listens as attentive as always. 

“To be honest with you, I…” Goro inhales a little. “… I still feel inadequate to take care of this puppy. Even you, with your—your easiness to make everything go smoothly, seems like you’d make a better owner than me.”

“You’ll grow into it more,” Ren says, simply. “She already loves you. It gets easier.”

“I don’t think I am the person my dog thinks I am,” Goro replies. “She must… she must think I have it all figured it out. And no matter what I do, she’s always happy to see me come home. I… am not familiar with that feeling.”

Ren’s smile, although small, carries more warmth than Goro would like to admit. “So what?”

“Excuse me?”

“So what if you aren’t the person your dog thinks you are. You said it. She’s always going to be happy to see you.” Ren sips his tea, calm. “You’re already working towards being that.”

“…Do you really think so?” Goro hums. “I suppose I have been having meals with her. I have, although I’ve been failing recently, tried to keep a normal sleep schedule as to get energy to take her on walks. Caring for her might just make me care for myself, as well. Who would have known? Impressively enough, how did you know?”

“Intuition,” Ren shrugs. “You look happier.”

He noticed that, hm? “Ren, you’re always full of surprises.”

“You’re the one with a daughter.”

Goro turns to look at the puppy again. She loves playing with her rubber bone—it bounces all across the house and makes her so, so happy. 

“Thank you, for saying all of that.”

“I mean it. I hope you let me walk her sometimes—I’m available for dogsitting.”

“Don’t you have many other part-time jobs to attend to?”

“This isn’t a job. I like her. I’d like to help you, you know, it doesn’t have to be so hard.”

_ I’d like to help you  _ leaves a bitter taste on his mouth that he tries to swallow. Goro has known him enough to understand it isn’t an insult. Looking at the bigger picture, puppy and Ren together—it didn’t sound all that bad. 

“Okay. I’ll ring you if I ever need you.”

“Nice. You’re a good father, Goro.”

And as the puppy comes up to Goro, jumping and trying to get on his lap, he might start to believe that. 

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro finally decides on a name for Puppy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much to ao3 user lizalilac for recommending such a cute name for a dog T__T!! and to ao3 user raccooninvestigator who let me know softgoroweek existed hehe. thanks for reading! ♥

_Could you please take out Puppy for a walk today? I’ll be home at six._

**Yup. I’ll eat all your food.**

_...I suppose that can be your pay. Thanks, Ren._

The one thing Goro can’t ever bring himself to do easily is to leave his dog behind for a few hours. He thoroughly read about separation anxiety to avoid any inconvenience, but by the way this was looking, Goro was the one having it, not Puppy. He scratches behind her tiny ears—he says _tiny,_ but truthfully, Goro is scared at how quickly dogs can grow in a month. Of course he also read about that, so it’s not as shocking as it should be, simply wild to presence it with your own eyes.

“I’ll be back later, okay?” Goro says to her when she’s busy lying down on the floor for belly rubs. How is it possible to even leave such a cute puppy like this? “Ren will come to visit later. You like Ren, right? He’s your friend.”

Her paw is touching Goro’s hand so he continues rubbing her belly. Goodness, it’s really impossible to say goodbye. She’s so cute.

“I’ll be leaving,” he announces again to no avail. “Yes, and I’ll bring you treats, if you’re a good girl with Ren. Is that okay?”

He finally stands up, with his chest heaving at every step he takes, and hurries out of the door to not look back. He’s seriously going to quit all his jobs to take care of Puppy.

* * *

**[image.jpg]**

**gowo.. i miss u…. daddy come home…….**

It’s probably risky to use his phone mid-lecture, but he can’t help the smile spread across his face upon seeing Puppy. She has her harness on and she looks like she’s out on a walk with Ren, which relieves him immensely. At least she’s not alone anymore and getting her healthy exercise.

_Don’t impersonate my dog, it’s weird._

_Plus, she looks happy, so I doubt she’s saying that._

_Thank you again, Ren._

**we are gonna go to the supermarket now**

**we planned a surprise for you**

**pay attention to ur lecture >:)**

Well, wasn’t that an ominous threat? He puts his phone away to focus on the lecture, but it’s hard. A surprise, as a definition, isn’t a bad thing. Yet, if it comes from Ren Amamiya, nothing is certain. As far as Goro knows, a surprise could either be flowers or his poor house burning down, and he has no idea what’s more terrifying.

“Akechi-kun,” The lecturer calls. “Am I saying anything funny?”

Goro blinks. “No, ma’am. Did I do something?”

“With the way you’re smiling, I assumed I was telling a hilarious joke,” she says, but she’s not actually scolding him. “Stay sharp, Akechi-kun.”

Goro nods, unable to form words. Ren was _so_ going to pay for this humiliating moment. 

With the way time passed, Goro is sure at least twenty years had come and gone when he finally steps out, done with his schedule for the day. He goes back to check his phone, filled with very random updates of his dog and very blurry Ren selfies, and it’s hard to point out what they are doing. For starters, the pictures of Puppy all are her at different times of the day—some of them are with the harness, then the later ones are at his house, and most of them seem to be taken at the kitchen given the way the floor looks like.

Ren must be at the kitchen a lot. Knowing that he’s also responsible for LeBlanc, it calms his worries, but also knowing that it’s _Ren Amamiya_ on _his_ kitchen does nothing to relax Goro, at all. He’s basically power-walking all the way to the bus station and praying for his to come quickly, because if he finds out his kitchen has been turned upside down, Goro might not hesitate to pull out a gun on him again. 

To his surprise, when he opens the door and announces he’s back, nothing seems out of place. Puppy runs to him, wasting no time to jump at him—she’s gotten _heavier._ When she jumps at Goro, he has to use his full strength to hold her back. And she’s not even done growing yet! When she inevitably becomes bigger than Goro himself, he’ll have no clue what to do.

Ren peeks his head out of the kitchen. “Welcome home. I have a surprise.”

“Dreadful words coming from you,” Goro sets down his suitcase and removes his gloves, Puppy following him all the while. “Should I be concerned or scared?”

“I’ll let you be the judge of it,” Ren goes back to the table as Goro finally steps in. He gestures at the table, and very seriously says, “Ta-daah.”

Goro stares at the tray of cinnamon rolls and the two cups of coffee served on the table. “You know Sojiro told me to start to bringing ideas to LeBlanc. Decided to experiment them on you.”

He’s touched that Ren has cooked all of this for him under the guise of experimenting. The smell of coffee is wonderful, and the rolls don’t look _awful—_ definitely not bad for a first time. To the deepest of his core, Goro is warmed, and Ren is probably catching on with that. He has no idea what expression he’s making, but Ren smiles at him and sits down.

“I believe this is what you call food poisoning,” Goro says, trying to not be too caught up on this. “Revenge for something?”

Ren chuckles. “Glad you caught on.”

Goro sits down as well, eager to try the food, and Puppy is excited as well. “Puppy, this isn’t for you. Didn’t Ren give you food? Was he mean to you, Puppy? I know, I know. Ren’s terrible sometimes.”

“Hey. I’m nothing but a delight,” Ren huffs. “Try the cinnamon roll. I have a proposal.”

That’s odd, but Goro still does as told. It’s… not awful at all. “This is wonderful. Is this your first time making them?”

“Yup.” Ren doesn’t get too hung over the compliment as he moves on, “So my proposal is: Goro Junior should be named Cinnamon.”

“Oh? That’s what this is all about?” Leave it to Ren to make such a presentation to suggest a dog name. “Cinnamon… it has quite a ring to it, I agree.”

“She looks like a cinnamon roll anyway. Same colors.” He looks so proud of himself. Goro can’t pop his pride bubble. “So?”

“I’ll allow your idea,” Goro replies, taking a sip of his coffee. “This is also wonderful.”

“I’m trying to not let Boss have a chance to reject my offers,” he says. “Hey, Cinna! Hey! Cinna!”

Puppy—no, Cinnamon, seems to recognize his tone of voice and immediately looks up. So it won’t be a hassle for her to get used to a new name, as it seems. That pleased Goro immensely.

“It really suits her. I’ll have to give this one to you, Ren.”

“Yeah. I should be her other dad. I earned it.”

Goro shakes his head. “You’ll earn it when you start baking treats for her.”

Ren glares at him. “You’re joking, but I will.”

“I was never joking. I know you’re capable of it.”

“Huh. Was this a trap in the end? Get me to be Cinna’s new personal chef?”

Goro nods.

Ren sighs. “Should have expected that from you. I’ll get the father title, you’ll see.”

Smiling, Goro says, “I’d love to see you try.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> no real plot just wanted goro and a puppy. thank u for reading :D
> 
> [tumblr](http://joshrikus.tumblr.com/)  
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/joshriku/)  
> 


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